A Little Bit Of Give And Take
by The Clerik
Summary: GLaDOS and Chell have a bit of a... complicated relationship. GLaDOS extorts some testing, Chell extorts some favors, and meanwhile, sexual tension runs wild! A GLaDOS/Chell fic!
1. Chapter 1 - Making A Deal

_[Author's Note: Hiya, various cute and charming readers! This story, "A Little Bit Of Give And Take", is in-canon with my previous stories, which you definitely don't need to check out to understand this one, buuuuut they're all cute romance GLaDOS/Chell stories too, so if you like this one, feel free to give them a shot too! Have fun!]_

"_No! No, no, no!" _

"Well, _that _is a well reasoned response. Why don't you include some interpretative dances or gestures while you're at it?"

"Oh, I definitely have a gesture for you. See, it's this one finger-"

GLaDOS scoffed in frustration and stalked away from her human, her heels letting out hard clinks against the floor as she walked. (She knew that high heels weren't exactly the most functional of shoes, but dammit, what's the point of having a super-human sense of balance if you're not going to indulge it?)

Chell just leaned against her chair and crossed her legs. GLaDOS could never stand not having the last word, she'd be back.

The android made it about, oh, halfway across the Central AI Chamber before she pivoted, and with cold rage on her face, stomped back towards Chell. "I don't see what's so difficult about this!"

Fury flared through Chell's nerves, and she slammed her feet down hard enough to shake the panels in their case. _**"GLaDOS. I. Will. Not. Test. For you."**_

"Why not?!" sighed GLaDOS. "You were fine doing it before!"

_"I murdered you!_"

"Yes, and if we're going to be dating, you're not going to do that anymore! See, we're making progress!"

Chell closed her eyes, and tried counting down from ten to wait for the urge to toss the sanctimonious android out of a portal into deep space. It didn't work. So instead, she fell completely silent and stormed out of the Central AI Chamber, slamming her fist in to the doorway as she passed. It hurt, but on the bright side, it wasn't the android.

_I will not be trapped again, I will not be trapped again, I will not be trapped again, I will not be trapped again, I will not be trapped again, I will not be trapped again, I will not be trapped again, I will not be trapped again, I will not be trapped agai-_

"Chell!" GLaDOS' voice rang out from behind her as she thought furiously to herself. "You move fast for a such a... healthy looking human."

_Move fast? _Chell looked down at herself, and suddenly realized she was still moving."Oh. Didn't realize I was being so inconvenient for you."

GLaDOS gently laid her hand on Chell's shoulder. Human emotions were still delicate and stupid, but she discovered fairly early on that expressing sympathy via light physical contact was like a human cheat code.

"I'm starting to get the feeling that I'm being... insensitive."

Chell chuckled to herself sadly. "I didn't even know you knew that word."

"I have a brain the size of the planet. A significant portion of that is vocabulary."

Chell sighed, and leaned in to her android. "More shoulder rubbing. It might keep me from trying to murder you again."

GLaDOS paused, then shrugged and continued. "Duly noted. So, you don't want to test."

"I don't want to test."

"Why don't you want to test?"

"Don't want to be trapped."

"Hmm. What if you weren't?"

"Weren't what?"

"Trapped."

"Hmm." Chell stretched her arms. "Rub harder. What do you mean?"

"You would be entirely in control of the situation. You could stop and leave at any time."

"... Why couldn't you have offered that to me when I was still a prisoner?"

"Because you would have just tried to kill me? You're terribly predictable like that."

"Oh yeah?" With a grin, Chell pulled herself away from GLaDOS for a moment, before turning around, and pulling her in to a deep kiss. The android stiffened with surprise, then slowly relaxed in to her soft lips, and the sweet taste of her peach lip balm and the electrifying pressure of her shapely body against-

"Mmm," purred Chell as she pulled away. "I guess _you're _terribly predictable too."

"W- what?"

"... You can let go of me now."

"Oh! Right," blushed GLaDOS, as she pulled her arm away from her human's waist. "S- so, is it a deal?"

Chell looked at her blushing android, and bit her lip as she thought. _Oh, I am SO going to regret this... _"A couple of things. First off, no lethal traps. No turrets, no pits, no pools of that green... whatever the hell it is."

"I... oh, _fine, _but it's barely science if nobody dies!" Although she'd never tell, GLaDOS was already planning to get rid of those. There was no use damaging her... Chell. Not that she cares about her at all, humans are just _really _hard to replace. ATLAS and P-Body were proof enough of that.

"And secondly, you have to do something for _me." _Chell gave a wicked grin as she ran her finger across GLaDOS' chest. Just to get her attention, of course, not to get any of the... tertiary benefits of being that close to the android's chest. _Oh, I cannot wait to get far, far closer to you._

"... Oh, you have got to be kidding me."

"Hey, babe, all relationships have some give and take!"

GLaDOS slowly frowned. "What did you just call me?"

"Um. 'Babe'?" The former test subject slowly blushed as it dawned on her. "I... guess- I'm sorry, this is... this is the first, um, serious relationship and I... I'm really not s- sure what the protocol for 'cute pet names' are- is it okay? Is 'babe' okay? And oh my god, are we s- serious? I... I don't- I don't want to pressure you and t- try to make you commit more than you feel comfortable with- I'll never call you babe again, I swear-"

The android let out a soft laugh, and gently pressed a kiss on her flustering human's forehead. "You make such a convincing case! You have a deal."

"... You're making fun of me, aren't you."

"Oh, _absolutely."_


	2. Chapter 2 - Back In The Saddle

Chell didn't want to do this. Chell didn't want to do this. Chell **_really _**didn't want to do this.

_Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out._

"What, exactly, are you _doing _in there?" GLaDOS' voice echoed through the elevator, irritated. "Seeing how long you can stay in an elevator is not part of the test. Just letting you know. In case you're curious at all."

Looking down at her hands, Chell suddenly realized how hard she was gripping the railings of her last vestige before having to step in to the testing track. It took a visible effort to unclench her fingers, and she started rubbing the feeling back in to her hands as she tried desperately to calm down.

_It's fine. I don't have to worry about it. It'll be fine, I'm just testing. Not trapped. Not trapped at all. Just testing. Breathe in. Breathe out._

The clean white elevator was filled with a soft static as GLaDOS sighed through the intercom system. "Chell, you... you don't have to do this."

"Yeah. I do. If it stresses me out this much, I do," Chell tried a smile, and with a deep breath, stepped off the elevator.

_Once more, into the breach._

It slid quietly away, back in to the labyrinthine depths of the facility, as the test subject watched the screens plastered across the small room. Some kind of advertisement about synthetic flesh. Chell found it kinda fascinating, actually, GLaDOS was always so cagey about whatever process she used to create the stuff. Not that she needed to know, mind, but-

_Heh. Totally not stalling. Don't be ridiculous._

Chell started to the door, her long fall boots softly clinking against the ground as she walked. It slid open when she met it, and after a deep breath, she stepped through. On the other side of the door was a huge, wide open white room, soft white light emanating from nothing in particular. And in the center of the room, was a button. And right beside it, was a hefty cube.

Chell blinked. "Is that... is that as simple as it looks?"

GLaDOS somehow gave the distinct impression of smiling wickedly at her human, even through a simple red camera and a tinkling laugh. "I didn't want to give you a headache, 'babe'."

"You're... you're making fun of me!" Chell glared at the camera, hoping to win back some credibility.

"You're blushing, test subject. Blushing is _not _part of the test."

A strange, strangled noise escaped Chell's throat, and with nothing more to say, she casually flipped her middle finger to the camera. She stomped across the test chamber, lifted up the heavy Aperture Science Super-Fancy Science Cube or whatever the hell it was called, she couldn't remember, and slammed it on the button.

"Test complete! You must be _so _proud," purred GLaDOS.

The door on the far end of the test chamber opened, and Chell continued on her way. In the next room, a small wooden drawer sat on the far end, which Chell slowly recognized.

"... Is that... is that my underwear drawer?"

"It's an Aperture Science Undergarment Containment Unit, if that's what's you're asking."

"... _**WHY?!"**_

"Protocol dictates I'm not allowed to explain the tests, test subject."

Chell sighed, and began to rifle through her own underwear drawer. Other than copious amounts of underwear, Chell blushed furiously as she found the small black silicon rod that the personality cores had sold her, which she kept hidden in there at all times. "Um. GLaDOS, I don't suppose you... _found _anything in here?"_  
_

A moment of silence.

"I don't know _what _you could be talking about, test subject." The android's voice was sweet like honey, and deeply mocking.

_Yeah, she found my vibrator._

Finally, Chell made jackpot: The Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device, all spick and span, made of shiny white porcelain curves. Chell grabbed it up, and sighed with happiness as she experimentally fingered the triggers. _Oh, I have missed this ol' girl. It's like a security blanket. Powered by a miniature black hole. You know, like all security blankets._

"... Do you two need a moment alone?"

"Oh, hush. You'll never understand our love."

The next door opened, and as Chell stepped through, she got the distinct feeling of being led around on a management rail. The new room consisted almost entirely of the same featureless walls as before, only with a thermal discouragement beam shot out of the floor, and several light nodes that required to be shot by said beam.

"Oh, _come on," _Chell groaned. "Where's the hard stuff?! I could solve this in my _sleep._"_  
_

"Hmm. You're probably right." GLaDOS mused.

And then the floor dropped away.

Chell barely had time to yelp in surprise as she was suddenly dropping fast. She spun around as she fell, looking for a wall to shoot a portal on, but the walls of this chamber were instead water, rushing down in to the darkness so far below that Chell could barely see it. Fortunately, she didn't fall _that _far, and instead slammed her long fall boots in to a suspended walkway. She looked around, and ducked as a discouragement beam narrowly missed her cheek. From the chamber above, the node that shot the beam had unfolded to reveal itself as a pivoting turret, similar to a rocket turret. It spun around wildly once more, from it's comfortable position far above her, and nearly bisected the confused human.

_"I thought we agreed, nothing lethal!"_

"It's _not _lethal, don't be ridiculous. The Aperture Science Thermal Discouragement Beam just burns a little, nothing serious. And there's plenty water down there if you fall, so it'll only hurt a little. Science needs a _little _danger, of course."

She sprinted forward, keeping her head and limbs as close to her center of mass as possible, and as she made it to the wall of water, her soaked long fall boots slipped out from under her, and she slammed her full mass in to the walkway at high speed.

_**"GAH! **Motherfu-"_

"_CHELL!_" GLaDOS' voice echoed through the massive chamber, strangely refracting off the water. "Are you okay?! ... Not that I care, or anything."

_"Peachy." _Chell gritted her teeth, pulled herself up, and continued through the water. And on the other side was an even larger waterfall chamber- with three laser turrets this time, suspended from the ceiling. They pulled themselves from their cradles, and looked at the test subject in confusion.

Chell's eyes shot across the room, rapidly assessing the situation. The walkway was no longer straight forward, zigging and zagging and twisting, arching and going up and down, and there were criminally few panels to portal-

And then the turrets fired. Chell lunged to the left and rolled, narrowly dodging two and feeling the third slice in to her arm. She turned, and sprinted up the stairs, taking the left, followed by a right, and generally buying as much time as possible until she could figure out a plan, before finding one of the few panels, suspended on a thin wire. With a smile, Chell slammed her boot in to the panel, swinging it out and almost to the water, before it swung back, and she repeated it. She shot a blue portal on it, turned to a panel angled to one of the turrets, and fired an orange one, just as the panel swung in to the waterfall. And a sprout of water traveled almost gracefully through the portal and in to the turret, short circuiting it, and cascading sparks from it's cradle. And then it exploded, tearing through the walkway.

_Oh my._

With a lurch, Chell tumbled across the plummeting walkway, until she grabbed one of the wires and swung away from it, cutting up her hands in the process. Her momentum carried her forward, until she met turret number two, almost face to laser. She dropped the wire, and wrapped her arms around the turret to pull herself up. Before it could turn around to fry her point blank, she grabbed the chassis, and forced it to fire on the other remaining turret. Which also exploded, frying the rest of the poor walkway. With a shrug, Chell figured she might as well finish the job, and yanked out a few choice wires.

Chell spied the door out, on the other side of the far end of the water wall, and after swinging the broken robot a few times to get her momentum going, she let go. She managed to bounce off the remaining panels, and even swing across the huge gap with one of the stray wires suspended from the ceiling, before launching herself gracefully through the door, soaked to the skin, but grinning like mad.

The android's voice sounded shocked over the intercom. "Oh. That was... that was... oh."

"Yeah," Chell laughed to herself. "I am _so _hot right now."

GLaDOS fell silent for a moment, which Chell took to believe as an affirmation, before she started up again. "So, test subject, are you ready to continue testing?"

Chell rubbed her neck nonchalantly. "I guess. You know, if you want to."

_Can't let her know how much fun I'm having._

And so, it began.

Test chamber after test chamber, Chell gritted her teeth and blazed through them. It settled in to a familiar rhythm, and Chell felt herself almost _pleased _at herself for each and every victory. _I wonder, does Stockholm Syndrome apply to tests? _Massive towers covered in turrets, seas of Repulsion Gel, a test chamber composed entirely out of broken glass, aerial faith plates that tossed her directly in to mashy spike plates (she was particularly proud of that one)- it just went on and on, and at the end of every one, GLaDOS would hum in appreciation and offer Chell a way out, but every single time, Chell refused. "Not until I'm done all of your tests," she would say every time.

Finally, hours later, after seeing Chell slip on a pool of Propulsion Gel, GLaDOS sighed and demanded Chell return to her quarters and rest. Which, of course, Chell completely refused. 99th percentile for tenacity, of course. The leggy android had to physically get up, get in an elevator, and pick up her tired human and force her out of the room.

"Oh- oh please!" yawned Chell, as GLaDOS pressed her in to the elevator. "I'm fine! I can do this all day!"

"You _have _been doing this all day," GLaDOS pointed out. "You've gone above and beyond what I asked you to do, Chell, so go _sleep, _you stupid human."_  
_

Chell blinked. "Did... did you just call me stupid?"

"You're trying to force yourself in to life threatening situations while you're half awake. Yes, I'm calling you stupid."

"Heh," Chell leaned against her android, a fact that the android didn't mind at all. "You just don't want to see me hurt."

"Oh, _shut up. _I think I preferred testing when you were mute," GLaDOS slowly, gently, began to rest her head on Chell. "... Thank you."

"Hm?" Chell was already half asleep.

"Thank you for... testing with me. I know you didn't want to, and I... appreciate it."

"... You're not used to thanking people, are you?"

"Not especially, no."

"Well, you're welcome," Chell nuzzled her android's neck. "Besides, you'll get to _really _thank me when we get to that favor you owe me."

"... I was hoping you had forgotten about that."

"You're not _nearly _that lucky."


	3. Chapter 3 - Tit For Tat

_"OW! Ow ow ow ow ow!" _Chell swore under her breath.

"It's just _iodine, _you baby," GLaDOS sighed as she pressed the disinfectant in to the small cuts her human had collected in the course of testing.

"It still _hurts!" _Chell slapped her android's hands away.

GLaDOS let out a strangled groan of frustration. It was two days since Chell had finished testing, and therefore, the second day in a row that GLaDOS had woken her up in her quarters with impromptu medical treatment. First, it was salve for the laser burns, and now it was disinfectant for the cuts. She had to do it a day at a time, of course, the test subject never held still long enough to get it all done.

Chell continued the whining. "Can't you at least bring me tea when you wake me up?"

The android, perched delicately on the foot of the bed, tilted her head quizzically. "Why? Does tea have some kind of restorative qualities?"

"No, it... it just tastes good."

"Ah. Yes. In that case, it should _definitely _be a key element in all medical kits. I can see it now; 'Gauze, Bandages, A Gallon Of Hot Water And Some Leaves'. We'd include milk cartons instead of flare guns."

"... I'm not talking to you any more."

Chell pulled herself out of bed with a groan as she stretched. The artificial sunlight poured through the window, and although it did the job of waking her up, it was still that strange brand of Aperture lifelessness. Sometimes, she considered having her apartment on ground level, just for the sunlight.

_But if I did that, _Chell mused, noticing the way odd way GLaDOS examined her as she stretched. _Then I couldn't see her every morning._

As GLaDOS realized she was caught, she blushed furiously and started to pack away her Aperture Science Emergency Medical Kit. "A- anyway, if you have any more cuts, you'll have to clean them yourself. I have work to do that doesn't involve s

"Aww, really? Chell teased. "Here I was, hoping you'd strip search me for more cuts!"

If you listened closely, you could hear GLaDOS' processor break at the implication. "I- I don't- w- what are you even-"

"G, honey, I'm just teasing."

"Well, _good!_ B- because I would hate to get that close to your stupid body, test subject!"

Chell giggled, and leaned in as close to GLaDOS as she could manage. "Oh, _really?"_

The human's soft fingers danced up the android's side, settling in to her waist, and drew her closer. GLaDOS' breath caught in her throat, as she suddenly found herself pulled in to her human's lap, pressing her synthetic curves against Chell's taut muscles. Her normally well-ordered was suddenly filled with all kinds of half thoughts and fantasies and the way Chell's lips seemed to be oh so inviting...

With a quiet laugh, Chell grabbed GLaDOS' hand and slowly led it across her tense body, the AI's fingertips catching on the bottom of the tanktop she wore to bed, before gently brushing against Chell's heaving breasts. And noticing, with a degree of incredulity, that she could feel Chell's erect nipples poking through the fabric.

The human's voice was barely a low murmur. "Do you really think my body is stupid, GLaDOS?"

"No," gasped the android, truthfully. "But I'm not exactly the most objective right now."

Before she could think about it too much, GLaDOS quickly leaned in and kissed Chell. The human's body stiffened with surprise, then quickly settled in to her. The way GLaDOS' lips moved was just so _tentative _and _delicate, _as though she was afraid of hurting Chell.

Time seemed to bend and distend for a minute as they kissed, before GLaDOS pulled away with a smile. "I'm just going to pretend that was a kind of science."

"Of course. Very scientific."

"Absolutely."

"... Heh. You're in my bed. With me."

GLaDOS had almost forgotten where she was, and quickly launched herself out of Chell's bed. "ANYWAY! I have to go- um. Do. Things. Aperture things. Burning things."

Chell laughed under her breath, masking her slight disappointment. "Hey, you still owe me a favor!"

The android could almost hear her synthetic heart stop. "... Please don't tell me that you're going to force me to have sex with you."

"Wait, what? No, of course not, that's weird. I only want to use a favor for something that probably wouldn't happen without it." Chell laid down in her bed, and started to think. _Favor. Favor. Favor. What do I want for a favor? Something that probably won't happen. __  
_

Chell smiled, and just as quickly as she settled in to bed, launched herself out of bed. Fortunately, she was wearing some Aperture Science Structurally Significant Sleeping Garments, so when she tossed her blanket aside, GLaDOS didn't turn bright red with embarrassment.

"Dance with me."

"... What."

Chell grabbed her android by the wrist, and led her out of the room at a run as she sprinted for her entertainment system. Fortunately, the Aperture Archives had an _unreasonable _amount of music on them, so Chell had pre-downloaded some of her favorites. And with a couple button presses, Vera Lynn's "We'll Meet Again" started playing through the apartment.

"Mi'lady, may I have this dance?" Chell dropped down to a single knee and held out a single hand to GLaDOS.

"Well. It's nice to know that you apparently have brain damage again."

"Hey! Why don't you want to dance?"

"Because it's _utterly ridiculous?"_ GLaDOS started to stomp out of the apartment. _  
_

"... Please."

GLaDOS sighed, and with great trepidation, turned around to Chell and took her hand. Beaming with a brilliant smile, Chell got to her feet, and pulled the android close as she wrapped her arm around her waist. The two began to sway slowly to the sound of 1940's crooning, with GLaDOS only getting tenser as time went on.

"... I hope you realize, I have absolutely no idea how to dance, Chell."

"Neither do I, but I'd like to think we're doing a good job of it."

Chell felt herself slowly relax as she sunk in to the moment, letting it wash over her. "My mother... used to play this song all the time. One of my favorites."

"Oh," GLaDOS frowned. She really was very terrible at empathy, but she tried her best. "I'm... sorry?"

"Heh. What, because I had a mother?"

"... Yes?"

Chell gently slapped GLaDOS across the rear as she laughed.

_"We'll meet again, don't know where, don't know when..."_

The very specifics of a waltz were lost to each of them, but they both had a rough approximation. Chell, because of half memories of a party she attended once in her youth, and GLaDOS because of something lost deep in her mainframe. While it was technically incompetent, if any waltz experts happened to see them, but the duo made up for it with determination. And the fact that the only thing in the room either of them gave a damn about was each other.

The two clutched each other closer and closer as they danced. Neither noticed, and neither would have minded if they did.

"Thanks, G," whispered Chell, nuzzling her partner's neck.

GLaDOS only purred in response.

And, unbeknownst to the lovestruck human and android, a small wire had been crossed in the entertainment system, and their little song was broadcast across all of Aperture. Every personality core, every turret, every bird, and every potato was waltzing in their everyday task that day, and everyone felt just that much happier.

But not nearly as happy as those two.

_"But I know we'll meet again some sunny day..."_


End file.
